Rajala Forestry

05/31/2026

May 30 2026. Rajala Forestry WLC Airstrip area.

Dense Red Pine plantation established in 1976 by Rajala Forestry in the previous owner (Hartley) airstrip, now being restored to Natural Forest. Thinned lightly in 2017 to establish diverse natural advance regeneration then again to low density in 2022 to "release" the regeneration. Followed by severe wind storms in 2022/2023. The surviving Red Pine overstory is of exceptional quality and is being pruned for the third time (the final "lift") to 27' height with 4 section specialized aluminum pruning poles. Note the abundance of Natural (not planted) White Pine and Red Pine regeneration, from which we lifted sparingly for enrichment transplant to the adjacent stand further described below.

Adjacent to the Red Pine Plantation Restoration to Natural stand is a slighly smaller Aspen Restoration to Natural stand. Here we've lightly thinned the 36 yr old dense Aspen stand, leaving much of the Aspen to grow and be thinned twice again in a long succession process. Each of the thinnings will provide some of the raw material for MTM's signature Aspen sauna items. This Natural Restoration is aimed toward the same Natural Forest result as the adjacent Red Pine plantation, but along totally different lines of succession. See the 2 White Pine and 1 Red Pine transplants (of the 300 +/- total) we've placed in the small openings of the Aspen stand following the first thinning.

Finally, we've developed a fast and efficient (although hard labor) method of removing dead Aspen limbs to 24' using lightweight fiberglass 2-stage telescoping poles. Aspen (and Red Oak) dead lower limbs are typically small and ready to fall off cleanly with a "bang" from the pole. This is much faster than trying to saw dead limbs with a pruning saw.

For world class Aspen and Red Pine (plus over 20 additonal native natural MN species) products from Rajala Forestry's Restoration Forestry projects, check out Minnesota Timber & Millwork at www.mntimber.com.

Enjoy!

05/30/2026

Check out the photo captions from Rajala Forestry & Minnesota Timber & Millwork. Illustrating our work from Seedling to Siding.

www.mntimber.com

05/26/2026

Minnesota Timber & Millwork offers both Select and Natural Grade Aspen Sauna wood. Select (minimal character, elegant) Aspen is a low % of the tree, so we're working to improve our Aspen quality through limb removal. Check out the full version of this process with extreme height Red Pine pruning on the Rajala Forestry YouTube channel.

05/24/2026

May 24 2026. Rajala Forestry. A White Pine sapling badly infected with Blister Rust. This is as bad as it gets. We eliminated the still living but infected sapling to provide more resources to its neighbors, not to prevent spread from one tree to the next. Blister Rust does not spread from tree to tree. It must pass through an alternate host from the Ribes genus, which includes all currants and gooseberries.

The White Pines on both sides of the tree we removed are unaffected. We see this everywhere. Based on the massive sampling we're blessed with, we have a high % of trees that possess high resistance to Blister Rust. It's an excellent indication that decades of preserving our best and healthiest trees for seed is paying off.

Note that environmental conditions are a big factor as well. High humidity and lack of air flow increase the chance of infection as well. We prune the lowest branches of quality seedlings/saplings when they're down in grass if it's present. And we always carry pruning shears, because you can prevent spread from a branch to the main stem if you prune it in time.

Let us know if you have specific questions regarding your own cherished White Pine. We're happy to share what we know.

05/23/2026

The silvics of Bur Oak can be challenging, but we've learned it and do it well. We're naturally regenerating Bur Oak to prepare lowland hardwood areas for a future with less Black Ash (due to Emerald Ash Borer). It's important to have the advance regeneration established before EAB gets here.

05/21/2026

05/13/2026

May 12 2026. Rajala Forestry Wolf Lake Airstrip Aspen Restoration to Natural Project. White Pine germinant resulting from very slight disruption of the detritus (2024 Restoration Silvicultural Harvest activity) and increased level of sunlight. And of course a nearby seed source (1/4 mile away in all directions). We are identifying these wherever they exist in the entire project/stand and including them in our matrix of diverse long-lived species restoration.

Our frequent entry light on the land manual silvicultural harvests and leaving most mature White Pine seed trees - even at a distance, along with extreme recruitment, identification, and tending efforts are necessary to restore naturally seeded White Pine to this stand.

Why? 1898, that's why. Pillsbury and/or Joyce were operating in this portion of the Wolf Lake area north of Grand Rapids MN. There are 40+ massive partially decayed White Pine stumps in this 3-4 acre stand of what is now single aged Aspen type forest. Had even 3 White Pine been left (less than 10%), there would be 120 yr old White Pine here. But they did not (unforgivable but in those days understandable), and so here we are.

But a natural forest operates on its own temporal schedule. A century is nothing to the forest, but it's everything to a generation of humans. If we want to enjoy the benefits of natural forests, we must act to restore a semblance of the natural Itasca County forest.

05/09/2026

Minnesota Timber & Millwork Basswood products. Rajala Forestry harvests it gently while restoring and maintaining ecologically authentic northern forests. Who cares? Honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies sure do. In June, our abundant old and young Basswood will flower and be a primary nectar source. So if you care about them, then thank the Basswood. And maybe enjoy a bit of it on your ceiling and walls when you're looking for something authentic and awesome.

MTM's Nickel Gap End Matched Natural Basswood. May 2026. Precision milled, consistenly every time. From Rajala Forestry's ecologically managed continuous ...

05/08/2026

Working through Minnesota Timber & Millwork to get this done.

05/03/2026

May 2026. MTM & Rajala Forestry working to sustain and utilize diverse natural northwoods species.

Rajala Forestry WLC Main Drive South of Death Valley. This is an uneven aged mixed forest with Northern Hardwood, Mixed Temperate Hardwood, Natural Conifers of all sizes/ages, and 25+ yr old Enrichment Planted Conifers. Managed as part of a continuous cover irregular shelterwood with significant old forest characteristics.

Here we identify 2 exceptional quality individuals of special species.

In the foreground is a Hornbeam (Ironwood) that is healthy, straight, 6" dbh, and free of seams. Had we pruned it earlier, the 2nd log might be as sound as the butt log. Dead/broken branches are a source of infection and lead to the lack of uniformity and unsoundness common in Hornbeam. It's certainly natural and of ecological value when those things happen; however, it's entirely sustainable for us to do just a bit of silvicultural tending aimed at high quality. This individual is healthy and we'll leave it as long as we can in hopes of getting to 8" dbh of high quality (that's 1 in 100,000 fyi).

Just behind to the right is a 11" dbh American Elm. Straight, sound, free of defects in the first 14' log. With well formed, reasonably straight, high quality natural character shorter logs above. We're watching the health of the top closely. Last year we saw that it was half dead on top. It appears the living half of the top is beginning to Bud/leaf out again this year. Within 2-3 years it will likely be dead, almost certainly from D.E.D. (Dutch Elm Disease). It can stand for a number of years beyond that, as part of Rajala Forestry's Lingering Elm Program. We consider this exceptional in its RELATIVE DED Resistance. And we want it to throw as much seed as possible. But eventually we will utilize it at Minnesota Timber & Millwork, turning it into to quality American Elm flooring or cladding. This 1 in 10,000 is just too good not to utilize.